The Wits HIV Research Group (WHRG) is a well-organized, highly effective Clinical Trial Unit (CTU) with an international reputation built on the successful conduct of NIH sponsored multi-centre trails, as well as its work with other international research groups. The WHRG consists of five Clinical Research Sites (CRSs) supported by a coordinating centre. This group has the capacity to undertake research in 5 high priority areas of HIV clinical trial research. The priority areas include Optimization of Clinical Management of HIV; Drug Development and Translational Research; HIV Prevention; Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV; HIV Vaccine Research and Development; and Microbicide Development. The CTU will link with five leadership networks (ACTG, IMPAACT, Microbicide Network, HVTN and PTN), maximizing scientific and recruitment opportunities by effectively integrating prevention, vaccine and therapeutic clinical trials in children, adolescents and adults. The unit will build on an established track record of the University of the Witwatersrand ACTU (Site#11101), PACTG (Site#8051), HPTN (Site#001-7) and a track record of international collaboration for microbicide research. In addition to our excellent record of research, this CTU contains four sites with letters confirming their status as selected sites for collaboration on four networks. The WHRG has a talented and skilled group of senior investigators with international reputations supported by enthusiastic research teams who are committed to HIV prevention in resource poor settings and the identification and management of acute HIV infections. The research team of the CTU has demonstrated an ability to work collaboratively with each other in all facets of the five networks and on PEPFAR initiatives. It is our aim to create a synergistic, pluri-potential CTU that is able to implement world-class research. In so doing, we also aim to achieve financial and operational efficiencies through centralizing and consolidating critical clinical research functions such as staff training, protocol implementation, regulatory compliance, IRB submission, pharmacy importation and data and quality management. The WHRG has close collaboration and support from the local, provincial and national Departments of Health, as well as from its own institutions. [unreadable] [unreadable] ADMINISTRATIVE COMPONENT: [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]